Massachusetts sues Boston Sports Clubs: “We’re going to be aggressive”

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is not mincing words after a lawsuit filed by the state against the parent company of Boston Sports Clubs on Tuesday.

Healey told Boston 25 News that the company “did everything wrong” and “blew a deal with her office” by reneging on its promises.

According to the attorney general’s office, more than 2,000 members have reported trying to cancel their memberships for facilities that were no longer available.

The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, said BSC members were charged in April after gyms across the state had closed in mid-March.

“We’ve sued them, and we’re going to be aggressive,” Healey said in an interview with Boston 25 News. “This is entirely unacceptable.”

Healey said New York based parent company Town Sports International, which operates 31 locations in Massachusetts, failed to refund fees to customers when requested.

At least 11 of the company’s BSC locations have either permanently or temporarily closed in recent months.

The lawsuit alleges the gym chain “misled its members about their rights and continues to charge members who requested cancellation”.

MORE>>Owner of Boston Sports Clubs files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

That suit describes a common theme of customers reaching out by phone, email and social media with no responses – all while continuing to be charged.

“They made a deal with us to resolve this. Unfortunately, we’ve learned that they’ve reneged on that deal,” explained Healey. “I can’t remember a company against whom we’ve received more complaints.”

During the shutdown, Healey said her office reached out to BSC to stop the charges, automatically freeze accounts and offer credits.

However, when gyms opened in July at reduced capacity, Healey said many members found their accounts automatically unfrozen and charged again.

The lawsuit alleges that many of the members who tried to cancel were told they could only do so if they paid a $10 dollar cancellation free, gave between 30 and 45 days of notice and submitted the request in-person or via certified letter.

“I don’t feel bad for the company as a whole,” said former BSC member Jillian Saftel. “I do feel people who work at the gyms. My experience with those people was always very positive.”

Jillian Saftel told Boston 25 News she was eventually able to cancel her account after being charged during the shutdown.

She said she had to call and email repeatedly, jumping through hoops to finalize the process.

“Gyms closed, and they kept charging which was really frustrating,” said Saftel. “It just seemed like bad business. I didn’t want to be a patron of a company that operated like that during the pandemic.”

In September, Town Sports International, the company that owns Boston Sports Clubs and 150 other gyms around the country, filed for bankruptcy protection.

Boston 25 News reached out to Town Sports International for comment but has not heard back.

In court filings the company denied violating consumer protection laws.

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